


No Consequence

by Golden_Asp



Series: Light in the Darkness Anthology [4]
Category: Final Fantasy XV
Genre: Ardyn Lucis Caelum becomes Ardyn Izunia, Izunia Lucis Caelum - Freeform, M/M, Sibling Incest, from the universe of Light in the Darkness, nothing happens, technically, the gods are dicks
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-04-20
Updated: 2018-04-20
Packaged: 2019-04-25 13:21:51
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,419
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14379525
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Golden_Asp/pseuds/Golden_Asp
Summary: Ardyn escaped his prison of Angelgard and returned to the palace.  He had to see his brother, his lover, his usurper.  It was all Izunia's fault, and Ardyn wanted him to pay.





	No Consequence

**Author's Note:**

> This is from the world of Light in the Darkness, focusing on Ardyn and Izunia. Light was written before we learned that Ardyn's brother's name was Somnus. I guess we'll never know just who Izunia really was (it was his chocobo. Just throwing that out there). This could probably be read alone, but will make more sense with reading chapter 29 of Light.
> 
> Welcome back to the world of Light.

Ardyn walked through the halls of the palace, flames snuffing out as he walked past the lanterns. How many years had it been since he’d walked these halls as chosen king? He had been ‘gifted’ the Crystal when he was just ten, he had become king the same night, when he had killed his own father.

He hadn’t wanted to be king at that point, but Father had started beating Izunia right in front of him, and Izunia was Ardyn’s.

Ardyn’s lip curled, and he shook his head, dispelling the memories.

He snarled, fists clenching at the thought of Izunia, his brother, his lover, the man who betrayed him as no other had.

He _hated_ Izunia Lucis Caelum, the one the people had started calling the founder king.

Ardyn was the founder king! Ardyn was the one Shiva had blessed with the Crystal! Ardyn was the one Bahamut had blessed with a glorious purpose.

And Ardyn was the one the gods had turned their backs on when he had done exactly what they wanted him to do. 

He hated all of them, but he hated his brother more than any other. 

The land had prospered under Izunia’s rule, that much was easy to see. The people were happy, and everywhere he looked, all evidence of Ardyn Lucis Caelum was gone.

He had been struck from history in such a short time.

He walked into the throne room, staring up at the empty throne and the garish Crystal hanging behind it. He snarled and lifted his hand, a coil of purple flame erupting into existence on his palm. It surged towards the Crystal, writhing around it, searching for a weakness.

There was a brilliant flash of white light and Ardyn was thrown back. He slammed into the door, feeling bones crack and organs implode.

Pain rushed through him as he lay twitching on the floor. Maybe this was it. Maybe he could die.

He felt the Darkness stitch his insides back together, bones knitting back together, heart still beating in a body of scourge and darkness.

He stood up, brushing imaginary dust off his pants.

He glared at the Crystal, and turned and stalked away.

He followed the corrupt soul bond down the halls to the chambers that had once been his. He eased into the room, snarling in disgust at old couple sleeping in the bed.

He stalked forward on silent feet, standing over the bed. He didn’t care about the old woman. She meant nothing. It was the old man he was here to see.

It was interesting. How much time had passed while he’d been entombed in Angelgard? He glanced up, looking at his face in the mirror. He looked the same as he had that day he had stumbled into the throne room, trailing Starscourge and Darkness like a cloak.

“Hello, Ardyn,” a rough voice said from the bed. Ardyn spun, facing the old, old, man.

“Izunia,” Ardyn said flatly.

Izunia struggled to sit up, old and grey and wrinkled. 

“How long has it been?” Ardyn asked, walking slowly around the room, looking at the changes made to it in his absence.

“Fifty-six years,” Izunia said. The sight of his younger brother before him made something tighten in his chest. Ardyn hadn’t changed. He was still young, he still looked to be in his thirties, not in his eighties as he should be.

“Ah. For fifty-six years I lamented, trapped beneath the stone of Angelgard. Did you think it would hold me? Did you think I would go mad, with only the voices of the daemons in my head to accompany me?” Ardyn vanished and reappeared in front of him, hand around Izunia’s throat.

“Let me assure you, _brother_ , I did.”

Izunia lifted a hand, wrinkled and carved by time, and put it over Ardyn’s wrist. Ardyn’s eyes dropped to the ring on his finger, the one that had marked his kingship, his stolen kingship.

“I am so sorry, Ardyn,” Izunia whispered. “I regret what I did to you. I should have stood by your side, as I promised.”

Ardyn snarled and spun away. “It is too late for your remorse, brother! You swore to stay with me! To be my hand and my lover! And you _buried me alive!_ ”

The old woman stirred. “Izzy?”

Ardyn screamed, gesturing wildly. A ball of Darkness shot at the old queen, silencing her. Izunia let out a startled cry, struggling to turn over to check on his wife.

“Oh, cease your prattling, she lives,” Ardyn snarled. He thought he could feel black tears on his cheeks. Izzy was his.

Izunia checked for a pulse. His queen of fifty two years was still alive. 

“This discussion doesn’t involve her. This is between kings.”

Izunia turned, looking at Ardyn with sad, filmy eyes.

“There is a prophecy,” Izunia said quietly, eyes glued to his brother. “That one day a chosen king will be born, and they will free our star from the Darkness.”

Ardyn tensed. “ _I_ was the chosen king, and see how the gods turned against me.”

Izunia had nothing to say to that. “You’re an uncle, you know.”

“I am aware. You have a daughter, sleeping in the next room, married to the love of her life. I believe she’s pregnant. Perhaps that child will be your precious chosen king,” Ardyn spat.

Izunia struggled to his feet. Once, he had been bigger than Ardyn, broader, stronger, with golden hair and electric blue eyes. Now, he had shrunk with age, hair thin and white, skin thin and wrinkled.

He was old.

They stared at each other, the corrupt soul bond open between them. Izunia let his brother feel how much he still loved him, how his regret filled him, how he had cried for his brother every night for years.

Ardyn stared at him, eyes slowly bleeding gold as Starscourge leaked from his skin. Izunia watched, hating himself.

He had done this. He had turned away from his brother in his time of need.

“Ardyn, I’m so sorry,” Izunia whispered.

Ardyn took Izunia in his arms, mourning the frail, birdlike bones and tired muscles that his once strong older brother had turned into.

“Why do I still love you?” Ardyn whispered, pressing their foreheads together. Izunia slipped thin arms around Ardyn’s waist.

“We are incomplete without each other,” Izunia whispered.

Ardyn hummed. His mind was quiet for the first time in decades, there with his brother’s arms around him. He knew it couldn’t last.

“What do you do here, brother?” Izunia finally asked. Ardyn recognized it as the very words he had spoken to his brother when he had seen him sitting on the throne all those years ago.

“Revenge,” Ardyn whispered. The Darkness gathered in his hand and slithered through his brother’s ribs, piercing his heart.

Izunia grunted, body folding over. Ardyn lowered him back to his bed. He felt the soul bond shatter and he screamed. It was a raw and open wound that would never go away. Ardyn cradled Izunia’s body in his arms, sobbing openly.

He was alone, truly alone. The only man he had ever loved was dead, at his own hand.

He looked at the Ring of the Lucii (what a pretentious name, he thought) on Izunia’s finger. He touched it, hissing when it flared white. So he couldn’t even touch that.

He would wait, then. He had time. He would plan and plot and watch the line of kings, and when the chosen king was finally born, he would finally be free.

He looked down at Izunia’s corpse again, brushing his hair back.

He stood up, leaving his brother’s body next to his unconscious wife. How he wished he would be there to see her reaction to his death in the morning, but he had places to be.

He couldn’t stay in Lucis. Perhaps he would start a war, spread the Starscourge. 

If the Crystal’s precious chosen king was supposed to rid the star of darkness, well, then he would make sure there was plenty of Darkness to be had.

He turned and walked out of the room, slamming the door behind him. He walked down the halls, bleeding Darkness from his heart.

He walked into the weak dawn sunlight and stood there a moment.

Darkness would spread, at his hand. He would wait, as long as it took.

Ardyn Lucis Caelum was dead. He had died with his brother.

From that moment, he would be Ardyn Izunia.

A man of no consequence.

**Author's Note:**

> would love to know your thoughts! Comments and kudos are love!


End file.
